>> Sunday, November 13, 2011

I couldn't wait till tomorrow to share this amazing autumn stew recipe. Probably because we're making it again today -- it's just that good. Now, I'm sure this mix may make some recall our Smoked Pumpkin Chili recipe . . . but I assure you, its flavor is entirely unique.

Oh, and this particular recipe makes enough stew to serve two hungry people four hearty dinners. We froze two meals and ate two last week. If you missed 'em, we wrote up some handy freezing instructions in this post.

AUTUMN STEW -- 2011-Style

What you'll need . . .

1 large white onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

28-ounce (large) can whole, peeled tomatoes -- with juice

29-ounce (large) can of pumpkin

2 cans low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup red lentils

1 can chickpeas

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup autumn spiced beer of your choice (or water)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . .

In a large stock pot, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until glassy.

Toss in the carrot, tomatoes (with juice), pumpkin, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Then add in the lentils. Cook for a few minutes -- stirring often and mashing up the tomatoes a bit -- and lower heat just a bit. Add the peas, chickpeas, beer, and spices.

If you have a an hour or so, toss a pot of this autumn stew on the stove. You certainly won't regret it. I'm off to do weekend things -- though, our day is looking a lot more like this (than anything more exciting):

Poor teachers. Always working on the weekends! Thankfully, we have a date with Dexter tonight.